On any given day of the week, you might find nine-year-old Louka riding her bike around the Floyd family property, or playing on the computer, or reading a book.

She is not at school because she has 'unschooled', meaning Louka has the freedom to decide what she wants to learn.

Her mother, Sheree, says it is not as crazy as it sounds.

"It's like a baby. We don't have walking classes; they just need that in their life so it's a natural thing that comes about," she said.

"We don't have a plan of what we're going to do, there are no books that we have to get done and it's a very free lifestyle.

"We sit down and ask, 'what do you want to do today?'"

Growth of home education

While the lack of parental steering makes unschooling different from home schooling, unschooled children fall under Queensland Government's list of Home Education Registrations.

The register shows that since 2009, the number of children enrolled in home education in the state has almost doubled, from 678 to 1108 children.

Sheree says more parents are considering the option of unschooling as traditional schooling methods fail their children.

"It's the start of a revolution because the kids just can't keep going the way they're going. There's only so much medication," she said.

"There are so many kids who are damaged and committing suicide and all of those results come from having that authoritarian view. Something has to change. It's not working."

De-schooling

Sheree first started unschooling her oldest son, Max, when he was 13.

"He learns very intensely and quickly and I think that's been one of the biggest struggles at school because it's very drawn out. Over a whole term they're learning one thing," said Sheree.

She says it took Max and herself a while to 'de-school'.

"They say for every year that a child is in school, they need about a month to get that way of thinking out of their system.

"They find that all their kids want to do is sit around and watch TV and rebel against it.

"I was nervous... I would say, maybe if you just do a little bit of Maths and English each day so we can tick those boxes and then you can do what you like."

But now Sheree says she is completely comfortable and confident with the system - or lack thereof - and will continue unschooling 16 year-old Max, nine-year-old Louka and their two youngest boys, Jasper and Leo, when they reach school age.

"I never thought we would be doing this but it just feels really authentic and right," said Sheree.

Qualifications and tertiary education

Interestingly, Max returned to school by his own choice when he was 14 and has spent the last two years at Mackay State High School. He says there were two reasons for his decision.

"I was feeling a little unguided and it was just a little scary just to pick and choose everything I wanted. I needed it then, that structured education, so I went back," said Max.

"One of the downsides to unschooling is that you don't really have friends that are your age. I have heaps of friends, just not in the same age group. You have mentors and people like that to learn things from."

Next year, Max will return to unschooling to complete the equivalent of grade 11 and 12.

"I had a look at next year's subject selection and I thought, I can learn everything that they have on there, plus a lot more, in my own time because I'm a very quick learner and I like to learn in my own time," said Max.

However, unschooling will not provide him with a grade 12 certificate.

Max says he is passionate about the outdoors and science and will enter university by completing a Skills for Tertiary Education Preparatory Studies (STEPS) program.

"Even if I don't complete grade 11 and 12, there are other ways around it. I know, if I really wanted to, I could strive to get [into university] without mainstream schooling," said Max.